Renegade Endless Summer 2019 - Aerti Flavour
by sanctum-c
Summary: Not part of a tumblr event; Endless Summer prompts applied to Aerti
1. An Unusual Date

Tifa pushed Aeris away, her back relaxing, her chest still heaving. Her partner did not take offence, content to kiss her way up, lips tracing across her belly until Aeris lay next to her. Pulse still thundering, Tifa let the circle of Aeris's arms draw her in. "Well. That just happened." She was grinning.

Not anything like Tifa's expectations of the evening, but in no way unwanted. First dates should have some restraint – or at least was guiding principle Tifa assumed. Might be showing her age; media was not short of swift trips to bed on first dates and one-night stands after-all. This was not the latter – unless she had completely misread every interaction between them. Which was a possibility, but surely not. Surely not Aeris- Aeris who was staring at her, the grin on her lips – those same lips capable of making her pant and moan and call out Aeris's name in absolute delight – was starting to falter.

Tifa smiled back. "It did." Her pulse still racing, still a little short of breath. She shifted a bit closer, gaze fixed on Aeris's. "I enjoyed it."

Aeris's smile returned and widened. "Good," she purred. A kiss. "So did I." Reassuring; as much as Tifa had let Aeris's reactions guide every one of her movements and touches, always a concern she had not done enough. Aeris ran her hand across Tifa's cheek, gliding down her neck and along her side. "Very much so." A further reassurance.

They relaxed back into the pillows, the air cool enough to force dragging the sheets over them; passion not providing sufficient warmth any longer. Aeris cuddled close, eyelids drooping. She fell asleep in moments. The warmth of her against Tifa was wonderful, the exertion had tired her, but she never fell asleep so quickly. Somewhat fortunate to have a first date in such a spectacular locale; Costa del Sol intended as a group holiday destination, not a place to hook-up.

But she and Aeris had tip-toed around each other and their feelings for each other for a long time now. Little things added up over time, mutual unspoken suggestions, anticipating each other's needs, an increasing need for closeness. It all somehow started in the depths of Sector Six, in Don Coreno's domain. That immediate spark, the click when they met.

Once events had calmed in the aftermath, Aeris was there with Tifa when they trekked across the grasslands. She helped her mourn the loss of her friends; Jessie, Biggs, Wedge. Those she knew in passing; Vogel, Undyne, Alphys. Still other strangers in and around Sector Seven, those visiting, those mercifully outside the area when the disaster occurred, but now left without homes. Aeris helped her feel better.

When the group stopped they sat beside each other. Maybe by chance at first, maybe because they had walked together. But after they made no effort to move, no matter what the situation. Sit together, whisper to each other, laugh at little private jokes growing out of their every interaction. They crossed the swamp outside the Mythil Mine on the same Chocobo, crossed Junon together, holed up in the cargo ship, until paranoia forced them to split off to evade detection.

And on arrival in Costa del Sol, when the group agreed to a break, to relax; the point Aeris asked her out for a drink. They did not part once Tifa agreed. Where would they go to kill time? Aeris eager to enjoy the sunlight, enjoy the ocean, and Tifa could not help but share the enthusiasm. How many long years since she had seen the sun? And like Aeris, she had never once visited the coast. They bought bathing suits and crammed into a shared changing room; not as if little money and circumstances had not already resulted in both seeing the other naked. They splashed in the sea after, both enraptured at the vastness and clarity of the water. A far cry from the murky, tainted bay Junon loomed over.

Their date had to be different to other dates. Surely, one did not spend the day with their date and after go on the actual date with them? Or maybe they did, and the whole day was the date, not simply the meeting for drinks. Had the thought crossed Aeris's mind? Was the invitation to the date later a mask for the true date now? There was the bemusing fact they had retreated to the same room, changed into something more casual and headed for the bar together. On reflection, they were a couple in so many ways bar physical long before Aeris pulled the trigger.

The date anticipated and surprising. They had already spent so long together, conversation flowed naturally. One drink leading to another, a daring suggestion from Aeris leading to Tifa kissing her. The kisses impossible to stop until progression lay to here and now; in bed together. Together; they were an item now. Tifa smiled, still waiting for sleep to take her.


	2. Under a Half-Moon

"What are we doing?" Tifa peered ahead in the gloom. The night sky was clear and a half-moon hung overhead. Her night vision remained terrible however; as dark as Midgar often was, the city was never truly dark like out here.

Aeris had shaken her awake some ten minutes before, pressing her finger to her lips and beckoning Tifa out of the camp. Initial panic subdued rapidly. Not an attack; the rest of Avalanche slumbered on untroubled. Possibly more relaxed than they should be. Someone should be awake to tend the fire and keep an eye-out. For Shinra, for monsters, perhaps for Sephiroth. But with no monster encounters in over a day, the worries did seem overblown. Tifa held her tongue while Aeris made her way from the camp to a small wood not far away.

Tifa asked her question once she felt distant enough from the camp; for whatever reason, Aeris did not want anyone else involved in whatever this was. A pulse of heat at the thought. Some clandestine hook-up in the night? Improbable. Not so soon. And not when they could have at least the comfort of the tent – other people over-hearing them no huge deal.

Aeris slowed her pace at the treeline. "I read about the area and there's something I wanted to see."

She had picked up a number of area guides in Kalm. A lot of her life spent reading, staring at images and imagining the world outside Midgar. Everything she had left behind in Sector Five, but she made do with what she found in the Kalm bookshop. Maps of various areas, guides to flora and fauna. In her spare moments, Aeris would study the books, on occasion investigating a flowering plant or tree – and sneaking close to various non-hostile animals. An amusing sight; Aeris's gaze transfixed, guide book held open in one hand.

But how did any apply here? To this chilly night under a half-moon. The book wasn't with her. For the best, she'd ruin her eyes trying to read by moonlight, and Aeris did not seem to have factored a torch into this unscheduled trip. "Oh?" Curious, but while the ground was not the most comfortable, so far sleep seemed a better prospect than dark woods.

"I read about some flowers years ago. Not like my flowers." She grinned at Tifa. "These ones flower at night. And I kept thinking how perfect they sounded for Midgar. I got my flowers to grow, but everyone else has so many problems. So I wondered if I could find these flowers, spread them around the city, they might be okay?" She shrugged. "Not convinced that would work any better – not any more. But; I would like to see the flowers."

Images them of what could possibly bloom in the night-time. Some kind of carnivorous variety? Gaping maws and sticky traps awaiting unwary prey? There were places on the Western continent where rumours suggested similar growths grew large enough to consume dogs, perhaps something larger. She shuddered. Or perhaps they would be more like cacti; compact and different, with tiny leaves. "What did they look like?"

"The pictures in the book looked like normal flowers." A dim grin from Aeris. "I know it's not that exciting but-"

Tifa shook her head. "You don't need to justify it." She was more awake now. Ahead a gap in the trees marked a clearing in the wood. The breeze brought an unfamiliar floral scent. "Think we might be close."

Aeris stepped out into the moonlight, beside a carpet of unfamiliar flowers. Tifa followed. A myriad of colours, all rendered pale and strange under the moonlight. "It's more beautiful than I expected." Tifa could do little but agree. Aeris sought her hand and laced their fingers together. A special moment of discovery Aeris wanted to share with her alone.

The breeze came again, stronger now, the smell of the trees and flowers mixing, loose leaves spiralling through the air. Tifa shivered and pressed closer to Aeris; she let go of her hand and slid her arm around Tifa's waist. "Are you going to take any?"

"I'd love to." She made no move to let go of Tifa. "But won't do much good at present. I'll… I'll remember this place. Come back later. When I have a garden to take them back to."

"Can I come back then too?"

"Of course." Aeris smiled and rested her head against Tifa's.


	3. You're Really Pretty

Despite her many years working at the Seventh Heaven, Tifa was not one for drinking. She would have a glass of wine with dinner or on some other social occasion, but she was happy staying sober and coherent. Happier to serve than consume. Going out with Aeris was something else; Aeris enjoyed drinking. Wine, elaborate cocktails- basically anything but actual beer. Her natural exuberant self enhanced by the drink and thus; more talking.

Her cheeks flushed, the reddening spreading down her neck and onto her chest. She got clingier too, finding little reasons to nudge against Tifa, to hug Tifa, to lean against her, hold her hand. Tifa didn't mind, but her companion was running away with the conversation and given the noise and a slight slurring of her words, it was almost all she could do to smile and nod along with whatever Aeris saying.

How long should they keep on like this? How long until the wobble in Aeris's gait proved too much and she could no longer stand? Was this normal for her on these occasions? Did she do this in Midgar, crawl home to her Mom's house, sleep off the drink and sell flowers all day? Possible. Such a routine felt like it might kill Tifa, but this was Aeris. She sipped at her water and wondered about excusing herself. Aeris put down a shot glass with possibly more force than intended. She swayed from side to side and closed her eyes.

Tifa tensed, but Aeris re-opened her eyes and beckoned her closer. "I have to tell you something."

"Okay?"

"Is important." Another sway. She said something unclear; Tifa leaned closer, her ear beside Aeris's lips. "And I was worried so I tried to get more confident."

Unexpected direction. "So what do you want to tell me?"

"You're really pretty." Aeris grinned at her.

The most innocent compliment she had received from anyone adult in some time. Normally the kind of observation Marlene would make. "Thank you. I think we should possibly get you to the room."

Aeris affected a smiling gasp. "I like the way your mind works, Tifa."

Unable to help rolling her eyes, but Aeris let her put her arm around her shoulders and steer her out into the Cosmo Canyon night. The flame still blazed in the centre of the plateau, but they headed up to the accommodation. "Little bit further."

"Might need a bit more-" Aeris struggled against her grip, but Tifa held firm.

"You've had far too much. You don't want to be ill do you?"

"No." Aeris took a few more wobbly steps. "Wanted to make it easy."

"Easy? Make what easy?"

Aeris turned her head away. "Embarrassed now."

Tifa sighed. "C'mon." She paused by the door and fumbled for the key. A chaotic route across the room and she deposited Aeris on one of the beds.

"I think I need a lie down for a moment." Aeris rolled on her back, her mouth hanging open. Might be an idea to keep an eye on how much she was having in future. Was this something to do with Gongaga? The inner workings of Aeris's mind often seemed murky and impenetrable.

"Aeris? Aeris?" Nothing. Best try and make her comfortable. Tifa propped open the door to the bathroom. Aeris's boots and socks off. Now the rest of her. Not as if they had never changed in front of each other, but it still felt odd to struggle her dress off of her.

"Tifa-" Aeris mumbled.

"Just getting you comfortable. Hang on." Over-sized t-shirt from Costa del Sol for nightwear. Tifa lifted her head to untie the ribbon and slip her hair-bobble off. Something else there, a hard, round sphere. It seemed like materia, but- No. Nothing but a white stone, the sensation of touching it odd. Tifa curled the ribbon in a circle, put the hair-bobble and the white stone in the middle. No risk of losing it.

"S'good." Aeris murmured when Tifa spread out her braid. Ideally there was more she could and should do but she did not want to disturb her too much. Aeris rolled onto her side, breathing softly. Definitely keeping an eye on her in future. Tifa got ready for bed and slipped into the bed opposite. "Tifa?"

"You okay?"

"Great." A pause. "Tifa?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. And-" Aeris opened bleary eyes and smiled at her. "Sorry."

"It's nothing, just sleep and feel better."

"No." Aeris shook her head against the pillow. "No. Sorry I didn't get to ask you."

"Ask me what?"

"If you want to go out with me." Her eyes closed.

Long moments passed. "Aeris? Aeris?" The other woman remained fast asleep. "Did you... Did you mean you...?" No response. Tifa sighed. Was she going to be able to sleep at all now? And would Aeris remember anything come the morning?


	4. A Spectacle Hardly Begun

"Mom's?" Charis lurked by the door to the living room, gaze flicking between Aeris and Tifa.

"Yes?" Aeris drew out her reply.

"Can we have fireworks?"

"Fireworks?" Tifa blinked, the newspaper now forgotten.

Charis nodded. "Aunt Marlene said she and Undyne were going over to Wutai to visit Aunt Yuffie and that in summer they have these really huge fireworks display and she showed me this video and it looked amazing." Their daughter's eyes were wide, a smile quirking her lips. "And… And-" She frowned. "I don't think we're going to Wutai unless you are really good at keeping secrets, so I thought we could have our own and I know it'll be a lot smaller but…"

An exchanged glance between Tifa and Aeris. Unlike Yuffie to single them out sufficiently to not have invited the family to Wutai for the same occasion, but Charis had not realized. Marlene had let slip a bit too much there. But how to maintain the surprise? When Uncle Cid swooped down and ferried them all off. Intended as a huge surprise and the lead into a holiday but- "You are right about Wutai." She ignored the look from Tifa, hoping she would figure out the situation. "It would have been nice to go, but there's no way for us to make it and Uncle Cid is really busy."

A risky glance at Tifa, her grip on her paper tightening a little. "It's an annual thing so maybe Yuffie will let us know with more time next year." An annual thing started two years ago, courtesy of the Empress's desires. And because of who the Empress was, the fireworks involved different to the typical gunpowder fuelled displays Charis had seen in recent years.

"But-" Aeris was unable to fight a grin. "I think we can sort some fireworks. Not up to Wutai standards but, I know one or two things about how they do their displays." A side-eye to Tifa. She was smiling now too.

"Really?" Charis frowned. "I thought- Aunt Marlene said-"

Aeris crossed the room. "They're not fireworks you can buy." In the kitchen beyond Charis was a metal cabinet kept locked most times containing the Materia. "Or not any more, or maybe not easily. I mean-" Tifa cleared her throat. "Right. What I mean IS we might not BE able to do something on the same scale as the display in Wutai, but we can do something special. Maybe some bits and pieces they don't have." A new idea; based on the fact the only summon Yuffie held was Leviathan.

Tifa rolled her eyes. "This IS going to need a lot of coffee isn't it?"

Aeris grinned. As much as the smaller scale display was cover, Aeris and Tifa figured they needed to ensure it did not occur too close to the Wutai display. Producing all the colourful effects across the sky was easy. What Wutai could do better was sheer number of participants. For this display, they would rely on Aeris and Tifa.

They began the next weekend, letting the sky grow dim enough to make the sights visible. Fireworks displays around this time of year were familiar enough and fun to catch glimpses of smaller displays held by families in the near distance. This little event was likely to attract some notice. They had run through the routine in private in the run-up. Most built on spell interaction and timing figured out during their travels across the Planet. Rusty skills, but never fully forgotten. Once Charis was comfortable on the blanket, Tifa and Aeris split off to either side, a full bangle of Materia locked around their upper arms.

A nod and they began. Tifa went first, sheets of flames erupting from her hands, the sky above reddening. The flames rippled and shifted, gathering into a cluster; it burst out, the flames vanishing long before they hit the ground. Except for one stray spark; the spark grew, becoming a raging inferno and from within it burst the horned figure of Ifrit, the fiery beast roaring and snarling. Aeris countered with ice. For each flame still aloft in the sky, she eradicated it with a shard of ice.

Wind whipped up all around, the light dimmer. Ifrit shivered as ice began to form across his body, the figure hunching, huddling, unable to move, lost beneath a shell of ice. A favourite; the tall, figure of Shiva strode into the open and held out her hand. With a snap of her fingers, the ice shattered, and with it Ifrit. Charis was already applauding, but Tifa and Aeris's spectacle had hardly begun.


	5. A Duel on Neutral Ground

The garden offered a place of refuge for now. Away from prying eyes, away from the business and complications of life. Tifa sank to her knees, head bowed, eyes closed in the quiet solitude. This was enough. This-

Cold steel on the underside of her chin. The metal forced her head up; Tifa opened her eyes. Aeris Gainsborough – the Aeris Gainsborough – stared down at her, looking along the length of her sword. "I have finally caught you by surprise."

Tifa scowled. "This is neutral ground. Our quarrel exists outside these spaces. Never here." She moved to push the blade away, but Aeris stepped closer, the cold steel resting uncomfortably against her neck.

"Our quarrel as you so call it knows no boundaries." Part of the game; or at least the intention. Circling around for the grand prize; something fleeting and difficult to pin down, but all wanted it, all sought it. And Tifa wound up drawn into this strange game by accident. Forced to defend at first but later seeking out her opponents. Aeris was the first significant challenger who remained a competitor. The one she fought with on the most occasions. The one she always enjoyed fighting, though the duels never ended conclusively. Outside interference, exhaustion, low light. The definitive moment between them would have come eventually.

But Aeris seemed to have grown impatient and, for want of a better word, cheated. The garden was off-limits. But here she was. With a sword. Control. She was not dead yet. "So. This is it? You leave me defenceless, kill me and seek the prize yourself?"

"Defenceless?" Aeris shrugged. "No one requires you to leave your sword behind." A smile. "Kill you? Like this? Would I ever be so unsporting?"

An impression; Aeris as the grinning, playful yet dangerous cat. And Tifa as the mouse she toyed with. Perhaps Aeris would be honourable. Perhaps she would be content to slay her, plant her sword upon her body and insist on- Whatever explanation allowed her to continue. The end justifying the means. "You might."

"Oh, Lockhart. I thought you knew me better." Her sword moved away but she did not sheath it. "I am disappointed though. I could let you run and get your sword but, I might not be so ready to do this then."

Something in amongst the flowers not far from her hand. A broom-handle. A foolhardy option versus a sword, but she needed a retort. The broom came apart easily and Tifa sent a wave of petals into the air. She held the broom-handle out in front of her ready. "This will do for a sword."

Aeris was less than impressed. "I do not think that will last long." Tifa stepped forward and lunged at Aeris. She countered the strike and grinned. "But still; who I am to deny you? I am not without sympathy; I will not take this as official if you fall here." Tifa nodded and struck again, forced onto her back foot as Aeris sliced through the air at her. The duel began.

They traded blows each striking and defending as circumstances required it. The broom handle rapidly gained a succession of cuts and scratches, but the temporary sword was still strong enough. No way to kill, but to kill Aeris- Tifa shook her head. "Since these duels began I've been reading about sword fights in the past." Aeris remained calm.

"Oh?" Tifa ducked a blow and landed a hit on Aeris's thigh.

"At one stage women duelled topless." Aeris was grinning again. "It was the risk of infection you see; cloth getting into wounds as they clotted."

Another lunge; Aeris knocked it aside. "I think you'll be okay with this. Can't cut you with this."

Aeris hummed an acknowledgement. "How about you though?"

"Modern medicine should be enough to stop that." Would it? Was Aeris making the whole thing up?

"Perhaps. If you got there in time."

A distraction might help. Aeris surely would not expect her to undress now. The surprise might give her enough time to disarm her; Tifa countered the next blow one-handed. She tore the buttons of her shirt and pulled it from her shoulders. A dodge to the side and she unhooked her bra, flinging the garment clear. There. Aeris charged at her before she could blink. A heavy, far too heavy swing- Had she been toying with her before?

The broom handle flew from Tifa's grip and landed somewhere else. Aeris was close, too close, breathing hard, her sword against Tifa's neck. Tifa hardly dared breathe, staring up into Aeris's eyes. "I win." Aeris's voice came out as a murmur.

Tifa had lost – lost so abruptly, and as if she never had a chance. But somehow she did not mind. Now it would be over with. Wait. The sword dropped away and Aeris was there- Her lips pressed into Tifa's, anxious, needing. Tifa's heart was going to explode, but nothing except this mattered now. Not the duels, not her partial nudity. Aeris needed her and gods, Tifa needed her too. She kissed back, dragging Aeris closer.


	6. The New Reality

Amazing how tired she was. A long day, a long few days. Before reaching Kalm, Aeris and Avalanche had found near everyone in the Shinra building dead – purportedly slain by the supposedly dead Sephiroth. And after a less than comfortable sleep preceded by a different uncomfortable sleep at Hojo's hands. Not to mention the kidnapping and the slap and all the events surrounding her since meeting Cloud Strife.

Also: tangling with Rufus Shinra. Stealing a car. Crashing said car through a plate-glass window. Racing down the Midgar highway while Shinra troopers assailed them. Fighting Shinra's robot. Walking all the way to Kalm. And listening to the strange tale of when Sephiroth went to Nibelheim. Aeris had felt pretty wired at first, unsure she would sleep. But soon after she crawled into bed in her shared room with Tifa she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. Until now.

A soft noise in the dark. Momentary disorientation. This was not home, not the cells in the Shinra building. Memory returned. Kalm. And relative safety. The sound came again. Muffled and indistinct. Another sound from Tifa's bed. A sniff and a sob.

Tifa was crying. "Hey." Aeris kept her voice soft. Sometime in the early hours of the morning; everyone would be asleep. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." Her voice was strangled. "Sorry I woke you. I'm okay." A sigh. "Go back to sleep."

Easier to see in the dim light now; Tifa curled up on her bed, facing away from Aeris. "Do you… do you want to talk about it?"

Silence. Aeris held her breath, straining for the slightest sound. "It's nothing." Aeris hummed, waiting. "I… I was thinking about them."

Ah. These last few days though hard for Aeris, were nothing compared to what had befallen Tifa and Barret. Their home lost. Marlene feared dead for horrible, long hours. Friends and neighbours killed in the Sector Seven disaster. The death of the previous members of Avalanche. Perhaps this was the first opportunity Tifa had to dwell on the new reality. Not on the run, not imprisoned. Not meditating on the past. In the dark night when she might feel all alone. "Tifa…"

"I feel… Is it my fault? They responded to us. We blew up their reactors, so they tried to squash us." Tifa's voice rose with a strained wobble. "And they did. They got Biggs and Wedge and, and, J-" Another sob.

"It's not your fault." Aeris gripped her sheets, wanting to move to the other bed. A hundred assurances died on her lips; all of them the wrong thing to say, all of them trying to make out Shinra had over-reacted with the massacre they perpetrated on the populace of Midgar, on the Planet itself.

"But if we'd tried a different way-"

"Then, we would not be having this conversation. You've lived in Midgar long enough; you know protestors never seem to last." Shinra could do little about their reputation in the slums, but as long as people paid their bills – or could cover the cost in some other way – they cared little. Big demonstrations demonising them were seemingly tolerated for a time. But nothing happened. Who could anyone appeal to? The city's mayor had an office inside the corporation and effectively useless for years. The best they could hope to appeal to was Wutai, but they would be unlikely to move against Shinra.

"I know. But. But maybe they'd still be here."

Jessie and Biggs Aeris knew not at all; she had spent a handful of seconds in the company of Wedge as he breathed his last. What had Tifa's friends been like? Whoever they were, they had struck back against Shinra in a way like no other group opposed to the corporation. Aeris shuffled forward. "Tifa?"

"Aeris?"

"I know we've not known each other a huge amount of time-" Two days at best count and given the circumstances of their meeting, not a normal start to friendship. They were friends, Aeris was sure of this after the walk to Kalm. New friends, but friends. "But I think… I'm gonna hug you now." She slid from her bed. Tifa said nothing to deter her. She lifted the covers and slid into bed beside Tifa, awkwardly pulling her into her arms. Aeris squeezed. Tifa relaxed slowly; she twisted around to hug Aeris properly.

"Sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for." Aeris rubbed her back. "If you need to cry, then cry. It helps." A silent sob against her, Tifa pressing her head harder against Aeris's shoulder. Aeris held her tight; Tifa let her sadness flow out of her.


	7. New Constellations

"The stars sure are lovely tonight." Rain hammered down on the ground outside, the sky dark and anything outside the cave lost to the gloom. Aeris huffed and blew a bang away from her eyes, shifting a little closer to the fire.

"Probably." Beside her Tifa peered up to the darkened sky. "They probably look great above the clouds."

"I think Nanaki needs some more practice at his weather predictions." The falling rain provoked a shiver. She shifted again, closer to Tifa this time and laid her head on her girlfriend's shoulder. And such a good plan at the time.

A holiday alone for the two of them; but not to any familiar place. Aeris had insisted on a true adventure, away from the tourists and the familiar. Discussion at last settled on the mountains behind Cosmo Canyon. Possibly not a totally fair choice. Nice to start off on familiar ground and see an old friend. And Nanaki able to update them on his various observations of the heavens. He was still figuring out all the ins and outs of his grandfather's equipment, but was still capable of rendering the heavens using the observatory's holographic projectors.

He calculated a meteor shower and a clear night some three days after their planned leaving of Cosmo Canyon – something to keep an eye out while they made their way across the mountain range. The mildness of recent nights might mean she and Tifa could sleep out in the open, dozing off under the night sky. It sounded pretty perfect. And the relative isolation should allow for other shared activities too. Nanaki raised a few concerns for their safety; as if Aeris was not well acquainted with using her staff; as if Tifa could not punch pretty much anything they would encounter into next week.

But they demurred when he insisted. Their provisions swelled to include a number of flares for emergencies. And Cid, Barret and Vincent aware of their proposed destination and estimated route. If they were overdue getting home, their friends would seek to find them, though no one wanted matters to come to that point.

They had prepared for most eventualities. But not the weather at night; why they had a tent. At least they had more space like this; the downpour began late afternoon and the cave was right there. They were not stuck per se, but not eager to venture outside like this. And not as if they were missing anything in the sky. This was nice. Not the plan, but spending time together like this was good.

"Guess we can at least hope it'll be clearer tomorrow." Tifa surveyed the cave again. "And hope nothing lives here."

A valid concern all across the Planet. There was at least no signs of anything indicating a monster den. Nor did the cave open up into underground caverns. Nothing but a shallow shelter in the mountainside. Time for bed; they left the tent collapsed in their bags and set up the sleeping mats right on the rock. They had zipped both sleeping bags together since they started their trek. Far easier to cuddle.

But sleep proved evasive for both of them; the light from the fire was distracting. Aeris eventually fumbled for her staff and the ice materia. Not the best plan in the end; the fire went out but it did so with a blast of icy air leaving them both shivering. Not wholly unwanted either; an excuse (as if she ever needed one) to snuggle closer to Tifa. Hands strayed to exposed skin and both forgot the chill, focusing only on each other.

After Aeris fidgeted around and onto her back. "Tifa..."

"Aeris." Tifa rolled onto her side and in the dim light offered her a lazy smile.

Aeris grinned back. "Well. Of course. But look-" She pointed. The cave roof above them glowed with pin-pricks of light. A river of light stretched from the cave entrance across the roof and down to the far wall. Tributaries branched off along its length, these offshoots thinning out, leaving whorls and clusters of light before fading to nothing. "There are stars here."

Tifa stared up. "So we got to see them afterall."

"Yep. Wonder if anyone else has ever seen these?"

Tifa shrugged. "We could be the first. Hey; does that mean we get to make up the constellations and name them?"

"Absolutely." Aeris's finger traced a shape in the air. "That's the mighty Chocobo right there. And that one? Where it's eye is? That's the Cloud Star." They talked long into the night, cold and discomfort forgotten and between them remapped a private night sky.


End file.
